Thursday, February 21, 2013

Corner in Round 1?

I'm not at all surprised that the Colts put in a waiver claim for ex-Saints defensive back Johnny Patrick. Nor am I surprised that they were beaten out by San Diego, whose GM is former Colts personnel whiz Tom Telesco.

It's not that Patrick is all that great (he's a dog in man coverage, but has the potential to be solid in the right system, and would probably benefit from a switch to free safety). But it shows that new blood at the position is very much something the Colts are in the market for. It won't be like last season's American Idol-style mass audition, but there will be lots of tire kicking.

Currently, the Colts have four corners under contract (or indentured as an ERFA). One, Vontae Davis, is a solid NFL starter. The other three -- Josh Gordy, Marshay Green and Teddy Williams -- are prospects of varying degrees. Keep an eye on Williams, a Olympic-class sprinter who did not play football in college, but has gone to camp with the Cowboys, played in the UFL and practiced with the Colts.

Other than their own free agents -- injury-prone Jerraud Powers, unpredictable Darius Butler and limited Cassius Vaughn -- the Colts may be shopping the field. The free agent group doesn't excite me, although there are some decent ones, like Bradley Fletcher (who I wanted the Colts to draft back in the day) and maybe Keenan Lewis.

The draft could provide a potential star in the first round (Poyer, Trufant, Banks) or a contributor in the third, but I still think pass rusher and pass protector are bigger needs.

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People are excited about Jeremy Kelley, the king-sized wide receiver the Colts signed, but I'm reserved until I see something. The guy is huge and an athletic freak, check out his Pro Day numbers:

Height: 6055

Weight: 223

10-yard dash: 1.47

20-yard dash: 2.62

40-yard dash: 4.55

Bench press: 14

Vertical jump: 42

Broad jump: 10’11

20-yard shuttle: 3.89

3-cone drill: 6.60

But he was unable to crack the lineup at Maine (Maine!), where he caught 13 passes and returned one punt in four seasons. Undrafted, he went to my hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the pass-happy CFL and had two receptions for 15 yards. He then went to the Utah Blaze of the Arena League. Although his 19-231-7 receiving line may look pretty impressive, it was only good enough to be sixth on the team, way behind leader Aaron Lesue's 155-1,810-56 or even the inimitable Tysson Poots, who went 108-1,167-30.

I would totally give those numbers a pass if Kelley was coming to football from basketball or, like Williams at corner, track. But he isn't. Four years of college after four years of high school.

I'd love to see him work out in the NFL, but I'm not banking on it. He should concentrate on special teams, and hope the Colts want to keep him for that reason.

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Just realized the Colts have been in Indy as long as they were in Baltimore.